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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749462">Apple Cider</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sister_dear/pseuds/sister_dear'>sister_dear</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cooking With Wild [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Autumn, Campfires, Cooking, Ensemble Cast, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), There is zero plot in this it is seriously nothing but fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:00:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749462</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sister_dear/pseuds/sister_dear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Autumn is for sitting around campfires with a warm cloak and a mug of cider in hand, surrounded by those who care.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Four &amp; Hyrule &amp; Legend &amp; Sky &amp; Time &amp; Twilight &amp; Warriors &amp; Wild &amp; Wind (Linked Universe)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cooking With Wild [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947757</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>290</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Apple Cider</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I couldn’t pass up doing a quick little something for autumn week on the LU discord. This uses a few of the daily prompts for the week: campfire, warm, companions, and fall.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There is a cool, crisp feeling in the air. The trees are a kaleidoscope of color. Heavy leaf fall rustles in the light breeze, announcing every step. The sky is the solid grey of light cloud cover. It’s autumn in this Hyrule.</p><p>The change in weather is a more pleasant experience for some of them than others. </p><p>Twilight is clearly in his element, comfortable in his layers of cloth and fur. By contrast, Legend has been especially snappish all day, moving in that stiff way that means his joints are acting up. Wind is sleeping off one of the bad headaches he is sometimes prone to - something to do with repeatedly getting thrown into walls? Wind has never clarified that one, though Wild gets the feeling Warriors has a few more details - Sky a willing cuddle buddy, his own eyes heavy and clearly fading fast. </p><p>Warriors is acting no differently than usual, but Wild hasn’t missed how he keeps flexing the hand on the arm with the burns, can feel the pull of the seasonal change in his own scars. This is the kind of cool, damp weather that makes every memory of injury, every stamp on their bodies from battles long past, sit up and make themselves known. </p><p>In short, it’s the kind of day that calls for cozy clothing, a cheery campfire, and a warm, sweet drink. </p><p>Fortunately, Wild’s bag is absolutely full of apples. </p><p>He gets Hyrule and Time to help with the chopping. It doesn’t take a good cook to quarter an apple and dump it in a pot. He adds the water and spices himself and sets the whole thing to simmering.</p><p>It’s now been stewing for the past two hours. Wild lifts the lid, checking for tenderness. The apples are practically dissolving. Perfect. </p><p>Four wanders over as he sets to mashing the apple slices against the sides of the pot. The smithy has his hood pulled up to ward off the chill, a white and blue cape around his shoulders. He has that slightly vague look in his eyes that he sometimes gets, face and fingers twitching with aborted movements. </p><p>Thinking to pull him out of his head, Wild extends an offer. “Want to help?”</p><p>“Hm?” A multitude of expressions flicker rapid-fire over Four’s face. </p><p>Wild puts the oversized spoon into Four’s hands, carefully curling the smithy’s fingers around it. Four looks at the serving-ware as if not quite certain how it got there. His eyes go to the pot, to Wild, back to his hand.</p><p>“Like this.” Wild moves his hand, careful not to press too hard on Four’s fingers as he guides him through the motions of mashing apples against the sides of the pot. He can feel when Four starts to come back to himself in the first bit of resistance against the motion of his hand. Wild lets go immediately, busying himself with pulling out a second spoon as Four’s posture shifts, straightens. Wild sets to smashing apples. Four joins him a moment later, hesitant for only a few moments before quickly growing self-assured. Soon they’re chasing each other's spoons around the pot, hunting for uncrushed apples, snickering and mock fighting when their spoons run into each other. </p><p>Warriors comes over, attracted by the laughing. “That smells delicious,” he says reverently. </p><p>“It’s not ready yet!” Wild taps clinging apple chunks off his spoon, collects the second one from Four, and shoos them both away. </p><p>The cider only needs a few more minutes to simmer. Wild gathers his cloak around himself with a content sigh, hood down to better enjoy the light breeze on his face. Twilight comes up, fresh from a spar with Hyrule and sniffing hopefully. Wild chases him away too. Wind wakes up with a startled curse that brings Sky out of his light doze as well, both of them blinking blearily at the world. Wild sneaks a picture. </p><p>When it’s ready, Wild brings out his cheesecloth, gathering the solids and squeezing the juice back into the pot. He dumps the remains into a bowl to take care of later. </p><p>Then, to finish it all off, just a little honey. </p><p>The light is fading by the time it’s done. The group gravitates towards the campfire, drawn by the smell and the warmth. Armor shed, cloaks and furs on. Wild starts filling mugs. </p><p>Wind is shivering but bright eyed, cold and trying to hide it. He takes his mug with a happy exclamation, carrying it over to one of the three long logs arranged in a triangle around the fire. Warriors strips off his scarf, winding it around and around Wind’s shoulders. “Hey!” Wind laughs. The scarf falls comically down his arms in great loops. “How’re you going to keep warm?”</p><p>“Guess I’ll just have to suffer.” Warriors sits down next to Wind, flinging an arm around his shoulders and tugging him close. Sky seats himself on Warriors’ other side, his sailcloth rearranged so it’s bundled up around his neck and shoulders. He passes one of the two mugs in his hands to Warriors, who taps it against the one Sky keeps in toast. </p><p>Mugs distributed, Wild holds out an edge of his cloak for Hyrule, grinning. Hyrule accepts with a laugh, tucking the edge around himself. Legend, grumbling, deigns to sit on Hyrule’s far side, seemingly satisfied with the warmth provided by his light orange and red cape. His expression eases when Hyrule passes a warm mug into his hands. He wraps his fingers around it reverently, leaning over it to breathe in the steam for a moment before taking a sip. </p><p>Four winds up sandwiched between Time and Twilight, the latter still in his furs, the former seemingly unbothered by the slight chill. Wild sees Twilight surreptitiously shifting his pelt so it covers some of the smithy’s back as well as his own. Time leans on one hand, which conveniently shifts his weight towards Four as well. The smithy shoots them both a look that says he knows exactly what they’re doing, but he doesn’t call them out. Wild is glad to see that his eyes have kept their familiar focus. </p><p>“This is good, Wild,” Sky’s voice breaks the settled silence that has fallen over the group, setting off a chorus of agreement. </p><p>Twilight catches Wild’s eye, smiles. Hyrule is warm against his side, moving with a comfortable ease that’s miles away from the shy bundle of nerves he was when they first met. The campfire crackles warmly. The heat from the mug seeps into his hands and into his chest when he takes that first sip, the cider thick and sweet on his tongue. </p><p>Contentment is an emotion that Wild keeps discovering in the most unexpected of places. He’s happy to find it here. </p>
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